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M45 07/12/17


8472

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From my back garden Thursday night.

 

WO z61 450D SW Star Adventurer

 

 

120 Lights (120 x 60 secs)

30 Darks

30 Flats

140 Bias frames

 

Stacked DSS, Processed in Startools.

 

M45.jpg.163e4bc64b578373f713dc7fee6a96b8.jpg

 

I bit disappointed with the lack of nebulosity, what with 2h total integration. Tried and failed with 2min subs (star trails).

Might try somewhere in between next time.

 

Also whats with the halo stars - focus a little off, maybe?

 

Regards,

 

Kev

 

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Yes, M45 is one of the most photographed objects there is and I do my own "takes" on it. I like this photo because it is a close-up of the centre, so is original.

On a related topic, it is a shame that the Star Adventurer only takes up to one minute exposures. It was on my wish list.

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I think the data will be there, it looks like the blackpoint has been clipped considerably. Don't be tempted to make the sky so black, it's invariably not black.

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2 hours ago, Sunny Phil said:

Yes, M45 is one of the most photographed objects there is and I do my own "takes" on it. I like this photo because it is a close-up of the centre, so is original.

On a related topic, it is a shame that the Star Adventurer only takes up to one minute exposures. It was on my wish list.

To be honest Phil, my polar alignment that night was rushed to say the least. Maybe with fewer distractions at a darksite, 2 mins is doable. Others online with similar setups claim to achieve it, so I'll no doubt try again.

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1 hour ago, Perkil8r said:

I think the data will be there, it looks like the blackpoint has been clipped considerably. Don't be tempted to make the sky so black, it's invariably not black.

I read this somewhere recently, being a common beginner's mistake and tried to take it on-board before processing. I couldn't see any difference in the dust pre blackpoint adjustment, but I agree it looks way too black. I'll take a look at the data again, and see if I can do better.

 

I must admit, Startools isn't the easiest to get to grips with for a beginner like me. A good basic workflow is what I guess I'm struggling a bit with.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/10/2017 at 12:24, Perkil8r said:

I think the data will be there, it looks like the blackpoint has been clipped considerably. Don't be tempted to make the sky so black, it's invariably not black.

Seems you're right about the data.

 

I've had another go of trying to wrap my head around Startools and have come up with a slightly better effort.

 

M45(2).jpg.aec0c8ffeae057af73a4bf3e6518ec0b.jpg

 

The hardest part seems to be making software do what you want it to do. 

 

Incidentally, are the addition of diffraction spikes, via the Synth module generally frowned upon in the Imaging community?

They did look nice, but I'm kind of being disingenuous by artificially adding them, aren't I?

 

Kev

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2 hours ago, 8472 said:

Seems you're right about the data.

 

I've had another go of trying to wrap my head around Startools and have come up with a slightly better effort.

 

M45(2).jpg.aec0c8ffeae057af73a4bf3e6518ec0b.jpg

 

The hardest part seems to be making software do what you want it to do. 

 

Incidentally, are the addition of diffraction spikes, via the Synth module generally frowned upon in the Imaging community?

They did look nice, but I'm kind of being disingenuous by artificially adding them, aren't I?

 

Kev

This attempt looks much better Kev. Keep at it, for 2 hours of integration I am sure there is still a bit more lurking within.

 

Regarding the diffraction spikes, each to their own but I prefer to not add something that wasn't there...there is a difference between enhancing something that is and adding something that isn't there. But saying that there are no rules, so if you like them that is what matters.

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That's looking much better Kev but I think there's still more to find. It's not an easy one to process though. As for spikes, it's all a matter of personal taste. With a newt you more often have them anyway but personally I don't like to add them in processing. They can look nice in some cases but not to my taste. Astrophotography is an art form, as such it's all down to personal interpretation to some degree. Do what makes you happy is what I say.

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Some sage advice there - thanks guys.

That's said, I don't think I'm done processing yet, as the more time i spend with the software, the more I learn. 

Would be great if I could bring out some more data.

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